Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Diego, CA and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,530 a month against $4,047 in San Diego, CA, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

197

Cost of Living Index in San Diego, CA
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San Diego, CA Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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San Diego, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,047

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Diego, CA and in Toronto

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Diego, CA and in Toronto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,047 per month in San Diego, CA vs $2,530 in Toronto, rent included.

San Diego, CA $4,047
Toronto $2,530

A couple spends around $6,129 per month in San Diego, CA vs $3,646 in Toronto, rent included.

San Diego, CA $6,129
Toronto $3,646

A family of three spends $8,211 per month in San Diego, CA vs $4,761 in Toronto, rent included.

San Diego, CA $8,211
Toronto $4,761

San Diego, CA costs about 60% more than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Diego, CA and Toronto sit above the global median – San Diego, CA by 202%, Toronto by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.60 $24.60

$17.67 CA$25.19

39.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$77.4 CA$110

29.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 $13.54

$10.47 CA$14.93

29.32%

Cappuccino

$6.02 $6.02

$4.08 CA$5.81

47.55%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.12 CA$3.02

43.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.76 CA$2.51

53.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.03 $8.03

$6.17 CA$8.80

30.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.95 $10.95

$6.89 CA$9.82

58.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$2.43 CA$3.46

-45.68%

White Bread (500g)

$5.53 $5.53

$2.75 CA$3.92

101.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.23 CA$3.18

121.52%

Eggs

$7.00 $7.00

$3.45 CA$4.91

102.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 $17.47

$8.93 CA$12.73

95.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.44 $14.44

$11.44 CA$16.31

26.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.69 $20.69

$14.61 CA$20.83

41.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$3.75 CA$5.34

26.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.15 CA$1.64

67.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$3.55 CA$5.06

25.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$4.28 CA$6.10

19.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.85 CA$2.63

71.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.67 CA$2.38

55.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.22 CA$3.16

-3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.21 CA$1.72

71.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.73 $11.73

$13.88 CA$19.78

-15.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.61 $16.61

$14.25 CA$20.31

16.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.20 CA$3.13

-1.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 $3.23

$2.42 CA$3.45

33.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.42 CA$3.44

2.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 $71.0

$111 CA$158

-35.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.90 CA$4.13

5.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.26 CA$1.80

62.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.65 $27.65

$22.03 CA$31.40

25.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.22 CA$1.74

33.61%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$37.0K $37.0K

$27.6K CA$39.4K

33.90%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.7K $25.7K

$19.8K CA$28.3K

29.46%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$255 $255

$122 CA$174

109.21%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$74.5 $74.5

$32.03 CA$45.66

132.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.3 $86.3

$47.92 CA$68.3

79.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.3 $71.3

$38.90 CA$55.5

83.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.19 $24.19

$23.24 CA$33.12

4.09%

Cinema Ticket

$19.86 $19.86

$12.61 CA$17.97

57.49%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,938 $1,938

$834 CA$1,189

132.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K $36.8K

$23.3K CA$33.3K

57.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 $66.2

$52.6 CA$75.0

25.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 $55.0

$40.26 CA$57.4

36.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$96.2 CA$137

18.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 $147

$123 CA$175

19.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,255 $3,255

$1,598 CA$2,278

103.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,381 $2,381

$1,435 CA$2,045

65.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,549 $5,549

$2,657 CA$3,787

108.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,363 $4,363

$2,096 CA$2,988

108.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,042 $8,042

$8,033 CA$11.5K

0.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,489 $6,489

$6,557 CA$9,347

-1.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,856 $4,856

$3,743 CA$5,335

29.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

4.47

49.89%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for San Diego, CA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

San Diego, CA

$2.4K 58.8%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4% 39.7% $946

Groceries & Markets

San Diego, CA

$480 11.9%

Toronto

$340 13.1% 29.1% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Diego, CA

$416 10.3%

Toronto

$202 7.8% 51.4% $214

Eating Out

San Diego, CA

$395 9.8%

Toronto

$282 10.9% 28.6% $113

Clothing & Footwear

San Diego, CA

$172 4.3%

Toronto

$140 5.4% 18.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

San Diego, CA

$111 2.7%

Toronto

$64 2.5% 42.2% $47

Getting Around

San Diego, CA

$94 2.3%

Toronto

$130 5% 37.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,255 in San Diego, CA versus $1,598 in Toronto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 30% higher in San Diego, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in San Diego, CA versus $77.0 in Toronto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $340 – making Toronto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Diego, CA

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

10:14 10:14 AM

3 h ahead of San Diego, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,386,932

2,731,571

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

San Diego, CA Toronto 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

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San Diego, CA
Toronto

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

San Diego, CA vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,047 in San Diego, CA, $2,530 in Toronto – roughly 60% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,071 per month in San Diego, CA and $3,795 in Toronto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Toronto, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,938 per month in San Diego, CA and $834 in Toronto. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in San Diego, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,047 in San Diego, CA and $2,530 in Toronto. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. San Diego, CA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,530 in Toronto to $4,047 in San Diego, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Toronto. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Diego, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.